Old Wounds
by HeroUp88
Summary: A mysterious man from her past arrives and begins to ruin the new life she has now. How will Rogue amend things and return her chaotic life back to normal?
1. Prologue

**I don't own X-Men Evolution or any related Marvel characters.**

 **A/N: I had a creative bug that I had to get off my chest. Still working on my other stories. I will come back to this one but later. If you like it, review. if you don't like it, review. Any ideas, review. You get my point.**

 **READ. REVIEW. ENJOY.**

 **-PAGE BREAK-**

 **November 8th (3 years ago)**

 **2:24 PM CST**

 _She walked outside the store to the bench next to the bus stop. Those entering were giving her dirty looks. They had seen her on the news and stories had been passed around town like wildfire. The devil child had been disowned by her family after pushing town starchild, Cody Robbins, to a coma. She was one of those mutant freaks. I mean it wasn't hard to ID her. The only known mutant in the town and on the news, plus the distinguishable mark: white bangs that highlighted the front half of her hair._

 _Ever since those other mutants had chased her around she had been on edge. Her gut couldn't be trusted as even it didn't quite know what was best for her or even what she wanted. And her logic was out the window; it was controlled solely by her emotions. That's why she was a bottle of nerves now. She had tried to avoid shopping at all costs, but her dangerously low levels of food had forced her to make an emergency trip. With Destiny being blind, she had to do so, but that didn't mean she hated it any less. She knew the people in the shop wouldn't greet her with open arms, but what she got was far worse. The derogative comments, the blatant ill will, and the far from satisfactory service. Had the cashier had a mutant ability, she would have spontaneously combusted right there in line. She had to get out of this backwater state, out of Caldecott County, and into the big city. She had overheard talk on the phone about it happening sometime soon, but she was still here for now._

 _The guy racking the carts walked past her placing the carts in their respective slot in the store. He walked back out, staring her down as he did. It was different kind of stare. It was a look of concern instead of malice. While it was a pleasant change in the status quo, it still warranted some feelings of reservation._

" _Hey, you looking for the van that rolls through here?"_

" _Yeah," she said shifting her bags uncomfortably._

" _You know you just missed it?"_

" _What? Really?"_

" _Yeah, sat here a couple minutes then took off."_

 _She sat there seething. The ride itself was half an hour. Now she would be stuck here another hour as the bus made its rounds. The wheels in her head started turning debating the trek home or killing the time here. Emotions fueled her as she began the journey home on foot. Each step was taken in anger and discontent._

" _ **I can't believe it left me. The bus driver knew someone had gotten off here. I bet it was because he knows I'm a mutant. I swear the ignorance of people in this town."**_

 _She muddled in her thoughts as she trudged on with her bags in tow. The gray sky looked as if it was holding back a terrible storm. She thanked God for that, seemingly to soon as a hole split her bag in half at the bottom, all the contents spilling on the ground._

" _ **You've got to be kidding me."**_

 _She bent down to pick them up, placing them in her other bag. As she placed the last item in she rose once more to find that nothing had followed her off the ground. Both bags had ripped._

" _ **Why me? Don't I have enough trouble without this?"**_

 _She grabbed all the items and placed them under her arms, starting again on her trip. She looked around her for something, anything to take her mind off her present situation. And it seemed to work. The cars rolled by oblivious to the girl on the sidewalk next to them. So much so, as she turned to cross an intersection, one cut her off, drowning her and her food items in dirty street water. Her mouth dropped in total disgust and shock soon followed by a string of curses. The day couldn't get any worse. She still had to get home. The further she went, the worse this decision seemed._

 _Passing the intersection, she traversed the seemingly endless expanse to her "home." Hopefully Destiny didn't have a problem with street flavored bread. The cars continued to roll by not noticing her in the least. She had secretly hoped someone would ask her for a ride, but she knew it was a long shot with her reputation. That's when the car closest to the curb began to slow as the window rolled down. She began to tense up, ready to run if the situation deemed it necessary._

" _Hey. You need a ride?"_

" _Yes!" Again, emotions had superseded logic and instinctual feelings. She knew nothing of this guy. For all she could prove he was a serial killer, but she didn't care. She was cold, wet, stinky, and her feet hurt; she was taking this ride._

 _The guy was slim. He looked too tall for the space allotted to him. He had pale blonde -nearly white- short crop hair resembling Chris Evans with a brown streak running from the crown to the front. He had tan skin with a farmer's tan leaving his shoulders white as a new born. His eyes were vibrant green and unexpectedly excited her as he helped her get in._

 _After she had settled, they began back on the road._

 _"I'm sorry about your car. I didn't mean to get it all wet."_

 _"Don't worry 'bout it. It's a seat cover. It'll wash right out." He shifted in his seat to better see her._ _"So where's a pretty dame like you headed?"_

" _Back home."_

" _How far's that?"_

"' _Bout four miles," she said sheepishly._

" _You was fenna foot four miles? That's a mighty long walk. Well how 'bout I cut that down for ya?" He smiled a big toothy grin at her, flashing a perfect set of whites._

 _She smiled back nervously. She appreciated the generosity but knew to tread lightly. One wrong move and she would be back on the road finishing the journey on her own._

" _Don't be so nervous Gorgeous. I'm not like them other ign'ant folks. Loosen up. A girl as beautiful as you should never have her head down."_

 _She had to admit. He knew just way to say to make her relax._

 _"So, w_ _hat's your status? That is you don't mind me askin'."_

" _Excuse me?"_

 _"I mean, do you got a man?"_

" _Me? No," she chuckled._

" _What's so funny? Why not? You picky?"_

" _No. Nothing. It's just no one's really… no one's shown interest. And my reputation kinda precedes me." She began fidgeting with her things out of nervousness._

 _"No interest. I don't know what's wrong with fellas today. But tell you what. W_ _hat if I take interest? Huh? And don't think to much about that reputation. I reckon' that's what makes you special. That and that nice white you got going for you. Let me see that smile, make sure I made the right decision.."_

 _She turned her head embarrassed._

" _Come on."_

 _Giving in, she turned to look at the stranger that had picked her up. She flashed a sheepish smile, but enough to appease him. He looked back at her a joy in his eyes she had never seen from anyone brought on by just being around her. It caused her to feel light, as if everything was going to be okay. She stared ahead at the road as her driver suddenly slipped his hand in her gloved hand, bringing it up to kiss softly. She started to pull her hand away, nervous about what could happen. Images of Cody flashing in her mind._

" _You're alright if I do that right?" he asked a little confused with his own actions._

 _Though it went against everything in her mind and gut, she answered, "Yes."_

 _He brought her gloved hand back up and kissed it again before returning it to the console to simply hold, rubbing his thumb soothingly across the back._

 **-PAGE BREAK-**

 **November 11th**

 **6:39 PM CST**

"Rogue, what are you wearing to the party?" Kitty asked exasperated as she furiously searched through her closet for some accessory to match her outfit.

"Kitty for the last time, I'm not going. Besides I gotta study."

"Please Rogue. Give me one good reason you can't go."

Rogue looked at her in annoyance. They had been roommates and friends for over a year. It was as if they had just met.

"Fine, besides the fact that I just told you I had to study. I don't do crowds."

"Come on stop being such an introvert. You know you love to dance."

"I don't know how to dance. And I'm not being an introvert. I'm being careful. The last time I went to a party, I put someone in a coma."

"Rogue that was like, two years ago. It's time to move back into the swing of things."

"Six months ago I went to that concert and had a mental break down. I think I've more than had my share of crowds for a long time."

"Fine, but no need to get all over dramatic." Rogue rolled her eyes, going back to her textbook. Kitty threw on the belt she had finally found. "Well? How do I look?"

Rogue looked her over smiling. "You look fine."

"Thanks Rogue. Well we're off."

"Who's we?"

"Me, Kurt, Scott, and Jean."

"The professor let you go?"

"Well Jean asked."

"Of course. He couldn't refuse the number one suck up, Miss Perfect. Well, have fun anyway."

"Bye Rogue."

Kitty walked out, closing the door behind her. This party was going to be lit. Rogue, however, had a sinking feeling in the pit of her gut, the same one she should've listened to years ago.


	2. Chapter 1: The Mysterious Stranger

**I do not own X-Men Evolution or any of its related characters.**

 **READ. REVIEW. ENJOY.**

 **-PAGE BREAK-**

 **November 11th**

 **10:46 PM CST**

The music was mind-numbingly loud. The lights flashed so much they could have given anyone a seizure. The room was crowded and smelled so heavily of marijuana, any passerby would have obtained an instant contact high. The only thing that kept it from being raided was the location; a few miles from the nearest house, putting it slightly out of the sight of the police.

The house was no larger than a condo, but people continued to come by the minute. They were stuffed like sardines in a can, yet there seemed to be enough room for several dance circles to form.

Kitty stood in a corner near the front window and watched as Kurt stole center stage in one of the many dance circles. She silently smiled to herself; Kurt couldn't dance. He had no rhythm, but with everyone hyping him up, he sure was trying. As she kept to herself, she could feel the regret welling up inside her. She had been really excited to go to this party. She had hoped her and Lance could finally cover some ground in their relationship. But once he had arrived with his delinquent friends, she knew there was no chance of that happening. She had tried to talk, but the group stuck to each other like stink on trash, and she refused to talk to him when he acted street to impress his friends.

Sure she had had fun in the beginning. If she wasn't going to talk to Lance, there were plenty of other guys she could talk to. And she did, talked and danced until someone brought in the beer and liquor and it all went downhill from there. Every guy was now trying to hit on her. She was ready to go, but didn't want to be a downer. Her friends, Scott, Jean, and especially Kurt, looked to be having a good time, she couldn't ruin it for them. So now she was content with standing in the corner until her friends were ready. She should have listened to Rogue. Now she was asking herself what was she doing here.

The guy who had landed next to her in this flood of people had begun to yell in her ear for some random friend over the already loud music. Another on her left, was throwing up, apparently to lightweight to hold his liquor.

"Eww," she said, backing away from him in hopes not to get any on her. She had barely caught the surroundings when some other drunk partygoer had run into her, spilling his drink on her shoes and pants.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you. I swear someone pushed me," he began.

Kitty stared down at her clothes and sighed. "It's alright I guess. I was gonna have to throw these clothes out if I wanted to stay out of trouble anyway."

He continued to stand next to her, staring at her up and down. Whatever he was thinking she was not for it.

"Um, I don't know what you're after, but I don't need a boyfriend."

He chuckled. It wasn't a sinister laugh, but a light hearted sound that threw her off guard.

"Just like these North gals. I ain't try'na hit on you. I'm just being friendly. You'd think it plum rude if I didn't say nothing. I'm just try'na start a conversation is all. Right?"

"Yeah? Looks to me like you're just another drunk guy trying to see what he can get."

He just smiled this time. Kitty had to admit, he was charming.

"This?" He raised his glass. "This is ginger ale. I just put it in a glass like this so my friends would get off my back about drinking. I'm not too much into hard drinks anyway. That and I'm supposed to be the designated driver."

They just stood in silence for a while, before the tall stranger broke the silence again.

"So, that your friend in the circle?" He motioned to the dance circle in front that still contained Kurt as the center of attention.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"He can't really dance can he?'

"No, but don't tell him that. He'll swear up and down he has rhythm."

"Maybe you should show him some of your moves."

"Mine? No, I just… I mean… I don't really dance."

"No? Then what were you doing cuttin' a rug like you was earlier?"

"You were watching me?"

"I was looking around and I saw you in the middle of the circle a few times. And if I might add, if you ain't looking for a boyfriend, you sure could've fooled me. There was a different guy with you every second."

"Hey, hey, hey. They came to me. I only danced with them to be-"

"Friendly?" He had a slick look on his face, playful yet sarcastic.

Another silence fell between them, Kitty breaking it this time.

"Look, I know I seem indifferent and uninterested, and I'd hate for that attitude to ruin your good time, so you can go back. Please enjoy your party. I'll just be here."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy. Now, my ma always told me to respect a lady's wishes, and well you tell me to back off again, you'll never see me again. But, you came to this party to have fun, and frankly so did I. And to me it doesn't look like whoever threw this party is reaching their objective, 'cause it looks like you're waiting on your friends to go to be polite and not bother 'em from their good time. But I think you should have one too. So I be much obliged if you would dance with me."

"I told you I don't dance."

He quickly rebuttelled. "Just one dance. I just want to return the friendliness you was givin' out."

He was flashing that charming smile again, making it rather hard to resist. "Just one dance?" she asked. He nodded.

She sighed with a smile, finally conceding. "Fine." She stuck out her hand as the mystery man escorted her to the floor, weaving through the crowd.

He sat his glass down and they began vibing to the beat of the song. Once again, Kitty could feel herself loosening up. She didn't know how, but this guy she had just met under a minute ago had made her feel comfortable. It was just something about the way he presented himself, confident, but not cocky. Charming, but not doggish. He seemed like a really great guy, not to mention he could dance pretty well too.

"You didn't say you could dance?" She yelled over the music.

"You never asked. 'Sides, I wouldn't be out here if I couldn't."

They continued for another minute or so simply enjoying each other's company. She would have much rather it had been Lance, but this was a nice change of pace from the up and down she was experiencing with him. Her partner's next question brought her out of her thoughts.

"So you gotta a name?"

"Maybe. Tell me yours first."

"I would, but then I'd have to kill ya."

"Uh, dramatic much? Well at least tell me where you're from."

"Yeah? What makes you think I'm not from here?" He did his best to cover his accent.

"Well, you don't exactly sound like you're from around here. And you called me a 'North gal'. Like, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Alright, alright. I'm from down south, way down south. So deep in the south that they still call sushi bait."

She started to laugh. "That far, huh?"

"Yeah, now I kept my word. What's your name?

"Alright. My friends call me Kitty. Kitty Pryde."

His face scrunched up.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"'Kitty'? You want people to call you that? Now I've heard some far out names from where I'm from, but-"

"It's just a nickname. Jeez."

"Well then what's your real name?"

"Katherine, but I like Kitty better."

"Well then if I call you Katherine, then you'll know it's me. I like it better anyway. It makes you sound older, more distinguished.

"I guess so. So spill it. What's your name?"

"Why don't you guess."

"Are you, like, in trouble with the law? I've never had to work this hard for a name."

"Fine. Samuel Michael Worthington the Third at your service. Friends call me Michael or Mike."

"Well, nice to meet you Michael."

They hadn't even gotten back into a good groove when her dance partner was suddenly ripped from the dance circle. Lance and his friends, Toad, Blob, and Quicksilver, gathered around him.

"You dancing with my girl?"

Michael was unphased. He looked back and forth before answering. "I don't see any livestock around. So I guess not."

Lance got a hit to the gut before Michael could react. He winced at the contact, but he didn't go down. Kitty immediately stepped in.

"Lance, what are you doing? Two hours ago you could care less about me. Now you're beating up Michael because you missed your chance? This is so typical. You're nothing but a hood."

"You don't have any problem with me any other time. Now you get a few people to rub against you and you think you can do better than me?"

"At least they care enough to try something."

"You've known this guy for two minutes and you rather dance with him than me?"

"If I may?" Michael threw his hand up to interject.

Lance looked back and forth between the new comer and Kitty. His face twisted into a snarl. He pushed past Kitty.

"This is all your fault."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Look pal. We're just dancin'. I'm not tryin' to take no one from nobody. But be careful, 'cause you're really startin' to grease my chassis. Now I'm gonna let y'all go on a warning. You really don't want to mess with me."

Lance threw another punch, but this time Michael dodged it, grabbing Lance's arm and twisting it so he couldn't move it. He released him after a few seconds of his squirming and pushed him away.

"Now, respect Katherine's wish and get to steppin'." He walked slowly away backwards to keep his eye on them in case they pulled something. But it didn't matter. Pietro was too fast for him to see regardless. He wrapped his hands behind his back and pushed him back towards the posse.

This time he was greeted with a kick to the gut, sending Michael down to his knees. Fred Dukes picked him off the ground and proceeded to hold him back, keeping him in place as the others took turns handing out punches. Kitty tried her best to pry them off her new friend, but they simply shoved her out the way. All she could do was watch in horror.

After a heavy round of hits to the stomach and a few to the face, Fred let go of their punching bag. He crumpled on the floor. As they all snickered.

"Guess he wasn't as quick as he thought," Pietro retorted, dusting his shoulder.

"Let's see him recover from that," Toad taunted.

"Yeah, looks like you can dance with the floor now," Blob chimed.

Lance crouched down to get eye level with Michael. And began mocking him.

"Now I'm gonna let y'all go on a warning. Stay away from my girl and don't mess with me Corn Pone." As he turned, Kitty stood right in front of him, white fury in her eyes. He ignored her and walked off, he and his entourage moving to the kitchen no doubt to cause more trouble.

She grabbed a nearby chair and helped Michael off the ground and into it. He took in a deep sigh before speaking.

"Trust me, I look a lot better when I'm not tryin' to put donkeys in the stable, if you catch my drift." He said as he checked his jaw.

Kitty slightly smiled. "I'm so sorry about them. Lance can be a total jerk some… all the time."

"Don't worry about it. Look at it this way, now we're even. I spilled ginger ale on your outfit, you get a couple guys to rough me up. It's all good."

She couldn't believe this guy. He had just been jumped by three mutants and he was making jokes about it. She had never met anyone like him before. And though she couldn't count this as "falling in love," he was definitely someone she wanted to keep around, especially if tonight was any indication of how her future with Lance was going to be.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Maybe a beer."

"I thought you didn't drink alcohol? And what happened to being the designated driver?"

"I think I need something a little stronger than ginger ale to take this pain down. My friends were pressuring me to drink anyway. They must've had a plan on how to get us home. 'Sides, if worse comes to worse, we'll foot a couple miles and maybe get a… a… Guber?"

"An Uber?"

"Yeah that. Hey, give me a break, I just took a couple of hits to the head."

"I'll get you that beer."

She walked away to the kitchen. He studied her as she did. He had only started talking to her because he had run into her, but she had begun to pique his interest. He wasn't "in love", but she was definitely someone he hoped he would run into again.

As he sat back in the chair. He felt a pain in his chest. A sharp feeling that he hadn't felt before, it was way past uncomfortable. He had taken a few hits before, and never hurt like this. He even had a branch stuck inside his shoulder before, and at this point, he would have much rather had the branch. Boy, that had been some night.

Kitty returned shortly after she had left. She noticed the pained expression on his face.

"Are you alright?"

He looked up as if he hadn't seen her walk up. "Yeah, yeah. In fine fettle. You have the beer?" He nearly snatched from her as she handed it to him. He chugged it down. She watched him intently as he did. As he put the bottle down, he noticed her hard glare.

"Something wrong?"

"Why did you jump in? It had nothing to do with you."

He set the nearly empty bottle on the floor. His eyes became serious. "My ma always told me to stand up for what you believe in. I believe the fellow was mistreatin' you. I was hoping to get him to show you some respect. I couldn't sit around and let him dog you like he was."

"Then why didn't you fight back?"

"The suckers got the drop on me. Trust me. This won't happen again. But I've had worse. It was a rite of passage in my house seemed like. My pa didn't believe in raising no wimps. Believe me. I ain't no stranger to pain."

Michael gave her a weak smile as the pain in his chest shot down to his abdomen and began to spread to his back. While he was no stranger to pain, this was something beyond pain. With each passing second, it seemed to intensify ten fold. The loud music and flashing lights made his head feel as if it were going to explode. He could no longer distinguish between Kitty's voice and the others around them. He earnestly groped for something to grab onto, as to relieve himself of some of this pain, but he found nothing sending him sprawling to the floor.

He began clutching his chest when he heard Kitty's voice again.

"Michael! We have to get you to a hospital. What's wrong?"

"I… I… I don't know. Everything is in…" He couldn't finish his statement as he yelled out. The pain becoming unbearable.

The room suddenly became quiet. Kitty had seen the projectile barreling at her, but the sheer misbelief had left her brain with no time to react. By the time she had realized what was happening, several pieces of what felt like glass had pierced her body, one directly in the chest, piercing a lung.

She took a couple steps back before she dropped to her knees. Her brain immediately told her to phase the extra 'shrapnel' from her body. It took all her strength to allow the small fragments of material to flow through her to the ground. But the damage had already been done.

Despite all the people, none had seemed to notice the dilemma that was unfolding next to them. They were doomed to the apathetic nature of their peers. Michael raised his head, still throbbing from the noise, and glanced over to Kitty. He saw her grasping her chest, red spilling into the gaps of her fingers.

He rushed over to her.

"Kitty. Come on. Stay with me."

That's when another wave hit of pain and nausea hit him. This one a thousand times stronger than the first.

He moved away from the body, grabbing onto the chair he had been sitting in earlier. It felt as if the pain was crawling all throughout his frame. It steadily built until it was unbearably overwhelming. It felt as if his skin was being ripped apart. He looked up in time to observe the fragments of material escaping his body. His back, his stomach, his arms, his legs. They continued firing in waves as he cried out in pain.

Several people had been hit in his vicinity, but it wasn't until the beer he had been drinking caught on fire from the spark of a stray broken bulb from above had people started to notice. The fire quickly spread, everyone leaving, only caring for their own safety.

The smoke was thicker than the marijuana that had occupied the space earlier. Michael looked over at Kitty's small, motionless frame. This was his fault, and he had to get her out. Despite his pain, he moved over to her and delicately picked her up, bride style. He moved as fast as he could to an exit of any kind. The last piece of luck he had led him safely to the front door.

When they finally broke through the threshold of the house into the fresh night air, he searched for the guy who had been in the dance circle, Kurt, she said his name was.

His voice was hoarse as he began to yell. "Kurt! Kurt!"

As he turned around, the kid appeared out of nowhere. Michael didn't have time to analyze how that had been possible. He wrote it off to his buzz.

"What happened?" Kurt asked in utter shock.

"She needs help. You're her friend right? Get her to a hospital."

Kurt nodded. "Follow me."

They walked swiftly to Scott and Jean, who took on a face of shock as soon as they laid eyes on Kitty. They both immediately went to action as Scott put her gently in the back of his car. Jean sat next to her, using her telekinesis to clot the blood until they reached the mansion. Scott jumped in the driver's seat.

"Thank you." Kurt placed his hand on the stranger's shoulder before moving to get into the car.

Another burst of pain sent the fractals of material throughout his body again. As he clutched his chest, his legs gave out. Several of the pieces embedded in the side of Scott's car. Scott jumped out and knelt by the boy on the ground. He looked tired and broken.

"You're a mutant?"

"Help me. Please."

Scott helped him off the ground and guided him slowly to his car, sitting him on the opposite side of Jean. He started the engine and drove off.

Michael tried to stay awake, to see where they were going, but his body was calling him to sleep. Despite his best efforts, he was out before they reached the city. A fire truck and police car passing them as they made their way to the city limits.


End file.
